3 habits that are destroying our mental health

January 30, 2019

Where things like technology, innovation and creativity are progressing at a lightning speed, if we really think about it, our lifestyle has become stagnant. In fact, our daily routines reflect a lot “wrong” that we are doing, in a lot of cases, totally opposite of what we should be doing for a better mental health. Had this not been true, depression and anxiety would not have taken over every other severe disease as the first and foremost cause of disability across the world.

Beyond the chronic mental disability of depression, there are millions of people who are dealing with issues such as anxiety, addiction, a feeling of general detachment and overuse of technology. Unfortunately, these things are a fallout or spillover effect of the modern lifestyle and of moving away from the activities we used to have before, like being spiritual, spending time outdoors, getting fresh air, and most importantly, truly being “social” sitting with family, talking and maintaining the concept of community.

Sitting and staring at a screen, unable to enjoy our own company

One highly crucial thing we have moved away from these days is to sit all by ourselves without any distractions, collect and ponder over our thoughts. Due to smartphones, which we carry all the time, our alone time with ourselves is being compromised by instant entertainment.

Running away from a community setup

Having villages in older times was a great way to a safe and secure environment to raise kids and create a sense of community among people. We nowadays do not have true villages to raise our kids, in a well-knit and secure community, which has created a critical, baseline source of anxiety and stress.

Unhealthy Food and lack of exercise

We, the modern lifestyle fans are basically “sedentary, processed-food eaters” and the biggest procrastinators when it comes to exercise. This is leading to obesity which is one of the most common diseases in the world. In order to get rid f obesity, we need to cut down on junk and perform regular workouts to lose weight. Instead of packaged food, go for vegetables, berries, fish, a little amount of meat, whole grains and a portion of dairy, for a better brain and mental well-being. Being humans, we are built to move and from walking over 10,000 steps a day as hunters we have gradually moved away from physical exercise. Not only does exercise have a direct link with happiness, but it also has biological benefits of inflammation and metabolic issues reduction which are both connected to depression. If not a proper gym session, going for a quick 20 minute workout can do wonders!